Like Father, Like Son
by Earth Star
Summary: Hiccup was fully aware trouble could always happen on Berk. So, after coming home and seeing the damaged great hall, only one question popped into his mind. Which one of his kids was responsible?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I've been working on the idea for awhile on what kind of kids Hiccup and Astrid would have, and it resulted in this. I imagine Hiccup is the kind of dad that enjoys teasing his kids a lot._

**Like Father, Like Son**

The door to the great hall was gone. Hiccup wasn't imagining things and he knew he wasn't sick. The door was most definitely gone. A wood pile sat at the bottom of the steps. Hiccup could hear Gobber give orders along with the sounds of hammers and axes. Whatever had happened, at least they seemed to be in the middle of repairing. Although, Hiccup would still like to know what exactly he had missed.

Tuffnut frowned as he scratched his chin. "I can't put my finger on it," he said with his arms folded, "but something's different."

"I believe," Eret said in grave tone. "It's the scorch marks, smell of ash and the lack of the door on the great hall where there use to be one."

"Oh, yeah," Tuffnut said with a slow approving nod and a thumbs up. "Looks good!"

"I think you'll be changing your tune when winter sets in," Hiccup muttered, dryly as he adjusted his fur cape over his shoulders.

"Whatever," Tuffnut said as he started to walk off. "If there was a fire, I need to find Ruffnut for details."

"Glad to hear he has high priorities," Eret grumbled.

"You wouldn't believe it, but it was worse when he was a kid," Hiccup said with a half smile.

"How could it be worse?"

"He and Ruffnut would personally start fires."

"Ah, point," Eret replied with a nod.

Hiccup frowned as glanced down to Toothless, hoping for some bizarre reason he could provide an answer. Unfortunately, the Nightfury looked as equally confused as Hiccup. He noticed even Skullcrusher seemed baffled by the display. They hadn't been gone that long, only for a few days for the meeting of the chiefs in hopes to calm the feud between two tribes. Hiccup would have like to think it wasn't a long enough period for trouble to happen on Berk, but he knew from experience that was an idle dream.

"Okay, so first things, first," Hiccup stated stepping forward to the work site, "I need to find out what happened and to do that I should first locate Astrid-"

"Daddy!"

He gave a grunt as his leg was grappled by a small body. Hiccup glanced down to see a familiar grinning face staring up at him, while never letting go of her wooden toy Timberjack dragon in her arms. "Hey, Sweetheart," Hiccup said as he scooped up his four year old daughter.

The girl giggled as Hiccup tried to brush her tangled red curls out of her eyes. "I shot an arrow!" she stated, proudly.

"Oh, wow, that's great," Hiccup said, as he glanced around and still saw no sign of his wife for an explanation. "Thora, what happened to the great hall?"

"It caught on fire," Thora replied with a serious nod as she pointed to the hall with one hand and hugged her toy to her chest with the other. "I wanted to help put it out, but Mommy, Gobber and Grandma said I was too little."

"Fire, huh," Hiccup muttered. That would explain the scent of ash and scorch marks. "Was it a dragon?"

Thora shook her head. "No, it was-" She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Wait, no, I'm not suppose to tell you. Mommy said she wanted to tell you when you got home."

"Ah, I see," Hiccup said with a sigh. His gut feeling told him it was because it wasn't a dragon that had set fire to the hall, but one of his own children. He cast a sideway glance to Eret and assumed by the disgruntled frown he was coming to the same conclusion. "Thora, where is Mommy now?" Hiccup asked.

"Helping Grandma in the stables," she replied as Hiccup set her back on the ground.

"Can you go get her for me?" he asked and lightly ruffled her hair.

"Okay," Thora said cheerfully and patted Toothless on the nose. "Bye, Toothless! Play hide and seek later?"

The dragon growl softly and licked her cheek, making the girl giggle. "Ew! Dragon slobber!" she replied, beaming like the sun as she ran off.

Hiccup patted Toothless's head. "I know you think of my kids as your own, but could you not feel the need to give them a bath?"

Toothless gave a huff as he rolled his eyes, clearly not understanding how hard it was for a human to wash off dragon spit.

"Speaking of children," Eret said, touching Hiccup's shoulder. "I should check on my family."

"Good idea," Hiccup replied, running a hand through his hair. It was probably going to be grey before the day was over. "I'll come find you once I know what's going on."

Eret nodded as he left with Skullcrusher close behind. Hiccup then turned his gaze to the work site. Among all the grunting builders, he spied a 12 year old boy and girl he'd know anywhere. The boy looked closed to cursing as he dropped the piece of wood and ran his hands through his short blond hair that matched his mother's. The boy's twin sister, who had inherited her father's reddish brown hair, was currently attempting to fix her long braid before attempting to pick up the axe.

"Stoick! Asta!" Hiccup called as he and Toothless approached. The children froze, then each whirled around staring wide eyed at Hiccup.

"Dad!" both of them cried in unison.

Stoick chewed his bottom lip as he gave a nervous laugh. "You're ah...home early."

"Yeah, I am," Hiccup said, flatly with a sigh. "What happened?" He should wait for Astrid, but part of him just wanted to see how exactly his children would explain this mess.

The twins gave uneasy glances with each other. Each gave a reluctant nod, coming to a silent agreement, and Stoick spoke first. "Dad," he started, "it was an accident. It wasn't suppose to get out of hand."

"That's not an encouraging introduction, Son," Hiccup said with a raised eyebrow and Toothless added a disgruntle growl.

"It wasn't his fault, Dad!" Asta said and fiddled with the tip of her braid. "I miscalculated and I totally should have included the wind risk as a factor."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Hiccup said, although he was slowly picturing what had occurred.

"What they're trying to tell you is that one of our precious children nearly burnt down the great hall." All three heads turned. Astrid was letting herself be pulled by Thora and gave Hiccup a half smile. "Luckily," Astrid continued, "we only lost the door."

"I can see that," Hiccup muttered, darkly. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, thank the Gods." Astrid then led Thora to Asta and Stoick and patted the twins on the head. "Take your sister and go help your grandmother, I need to speak to your father."

"In other words," Stoick muttered as Thora took his hand, "so you and Dad can plot punishment without us in earshot?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "Well, if you want to stay that badly I can send you to help Fishlegs." She grasped her chin. "It sounded like Meatlug ate too many volcanic rocks again, and he could really use a hand to clean up her-"

"No, no, we'll go see Grandma," Asta cut as she grabbed her brother and sister's wrist. "We are gone and out of sight!"

Hiccup chuckled slightly as he watched his children race off to the sanctuary of the stables. Astrid sighed as she greeted Toothless with a scratch under his chin and then gave her husband a kiss. "I had hoped we would have this cleaned up before you got back."

"What? And miss all the fun?" Hiccup responded as they started to walk. "So, how exactly did this happen?"

"Before I get into that," Astrid said as she frowned concerned. "How did the meetings go?"

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I got good news and bad news. The bad news is, those rumors Johann about those two chiefs close to declaring war on each other were true."

Astrid cringed. "Oh, great, that's just what we needed."

Hiccup nodded in agreement, especially since Berk was an ally of one of those chiefs and would be expected to help out if they did go to war. "Yes, but that's where the good news comes in. There isn't going to be a war thanks to Tuffnut."

Astrid frowned as she wrinkled her nose puzzled. "Tuffnut, prevented a war?" She waved an arm. "How exactly? I know you brought him for entertainment, but-"

"Well, that's the thing," Hiccup explained as he raised his hand, "the chiefs were about to declare war on each other, but Tuffnut's poetry was so mind boggling bad, it distracted them long enough to forget what they were fighting about, especially when they both agreed in unison on how terrible it was."

Astrid gave a snort. "Who knew Tuffnut's poetry would be useful."

"I know," Hiccup said with a nod. It had been a long shot, Hiccup hadn't been entirely certain it would help. Yet, after seeing Fishlegs and Snotlout forget about arguing after hearing one of Tuffnut's recent ballads, he figured it was worth a try.

"You realize he won't be letting that go for a long time," Astrid commented.

"No, but I'd rather deal with that then worrying about getting involved in a war," Hiccup said, "and speaking of local problems which one of our dear children do I have to thank for the fire?," Hiccup replied. "I'm currently betting Stoick from what Asta was saying."

"Actually," Astrid said with a forced half grin and tugged Hiccup's arm to force him to halt. "It was Rune."

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly and even Toothless gave a startled growl. "Rune? Our quiet little Rune?"

"Yup."

"But he's the sensible one!" Hiccup replied in shock. Despite being younger than the twins, Rune would be the one that tried to keep his siblings out of trouble. Although that would explain why Stoick and Asta spoke they way they did. The twins were protective of their little brother and sister. "How did this happen?"

Astrid sighed as she folded her arms over her chest. "From my understanding, Helga dared Rune to shoot a fire lit arrow and it was suppose to hit a stump, but Rune got startled and it hit the great hall instead."

"Of course," Hiccup grumbled as he massaged his forehead. Helga was probably the most trouble making kid after their own twins, granted that did just proved she was Snotlout's daughter. "And where is Helga now?"

"Gathering wood with Snotlout," Astrid said, "but she doesn't need a lecture. Trust me. She got a full one already."

"By Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, surprise. He didn't like to show it, but Snotlout tended to be a softie when it came to his girls.

"No," Astrid replied, "Ingrid."

"Ow," Hiccup said with a sympathetic wince. Ingrid's glares were legendary in Berk and Hiccup could only imagine what it must be like for Snotlout when he got those glares from his wife. "Full glare and all?"

"Yup," Astrid replied, "and Helga is going to help her bake bread for the next five days straight."

"Ow, I almost feel sorry for her," Hiccup replied with a smirk.

It was said Ingrid's glare was so fierce she could force yeast to rise with a mere blink. Ingrid had such a sweet personality though. It was hard to picture, and thus many people assumed it was merely a rumor as a result of her being proclaimed as Berk's top bread maker. However, Hiccup would fully believe that considering he'd seen the woman stare dragons into submission. He still wasn't sure such a woman married Snotlout, but he suppose it would take such a powerful glare to get Snotlout under control.

"What about Rune? This doesn't sound like him." He asked with a concerned frown. "He knows better than to take one of Helga's dares." Especially after that girl thought it was a brilliant idea to dare all the Berk kids into tickling Hookfang. Helga was lucky she only half of her hair had burnt off that day.

"I agree," Astrid said as she stroked Toothless's head. "I tried to asked him once we got the fire put out, but he ran off to his 'secret hiding place'."

"So, he's in the cove," Hiccup concluded. Rune always ran there when he felt like he wanted to be alone. "And you haven't brought him back yet?"

"Thought I would give him some time to himself first, he honestly did look mortified." Astrid placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, "I was actually about to go and fetch him, but since you're home early-"

"I'll talk to him," Hiccup said as he already started to climb into the saddle and gave Astrid a kiss on the cheek. "I'll try not to take long." He gave a sly smile. "After your day, it sounds like I owe some 'stress relief' tonight."

Astrid laughed as she wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck. "The last time you gave me what you call 'stress relief' we ended up with Thora."

"What?" Hiccup said as he shrugged. "Don't want to go for number five?"

"Solve the problem with number three and we'll talk, Babe," Astrid said punching Hiccup in the arm, but then frowned. "Seriously though, I am worried about him."

"You and me both," Hiccup said as Toothless spread his wings. "Be back soon."

Within seconds, Toothless took to the air and Hiccup gave a wave as they headed to the cove.

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No matter how old Hiccup got, the cove would always be a memorable place for both him and Toothless. It was this quiet, little hideaway that had changed their lives forever. He found it rather amusing, and strangely fitting, that his children often used it as their secret hideout.

From the air, Hiccup spotted his son on the ground below. The boy jumped in alarm and dove behind a cluster of rocks as Toothless landed. "They always try to run, don't they, Bud?" Hiccup asked as he dismounted.

Toothless growled in agreement as he sat and swished his tail back and forth. Hiccup glanced over to the rocks. He could go over and drag his son out, but that wasn't Hiccup's way. Besides, even if he did that, it would probably make the boy refuse even more to tell him what was wrong.

"Rune," Hiccup called out, staying where he stood. "I know you're here. Come on out!"

There was the sound of feet shuffling from behind the rock, but there was still no sign of his son. Hiccup sighed, feeling like he was trying to coax out a cat. "Rune, no matter how quiet you are, I'm not going anywhere."

Hiccup had hoped that would result in Rune surrendering, but the boy stayed put. Rune was equally as stubborn as Astrid and Hiccup himself. The boy would stay there all day if he wanted. Thus, it was time for Hiccup to use one of his creative parenting methods. Hiccup smirked as he kneeled and patted Toothless's head. "Hey, Buddy," Hiccup whispered to the Nightfury and pointed to the rock, "mind getting him for me?"

Toothless gave a delighted grin and quickly bounded forward. Hiccup smirked as he watched the dragon dive behind the rock. "3...2...1," he said, softly counting on his fingers and then pointed directly at the rock.

"AAAHH!" Right on cue came a cry of distress along with the slobbering sounds of a dragon licking his victim.

"No! No! Ha ha! Toothless, knock it off! That tickles!" Rune cried out between screams and laughter. "No! Ha ha! Not my hair! DAD, CALL HIM OFF!"

Chuckling, Hiccup approached and peered over the rock. Just as he intended, Toothless had Rune pinned to the ground and was happily licking the boy like he hadn't be washed in a month.

"Dad!" Rune pleaded as Toothless licked his short reddish brown hair. "Make him stop!" he whined.

"Oh? What was that?" Hiccup said, looking around like he was alone and cupped a hand over his ear. "I must be hearing things since there was clearly no one behind this rock."

"Okay! I surrender! I surrender!" Rune declared as Toothless licked his cheek.

Satisfied, Hiccup tapped Toothless's head. "Okay, Bud, that's enough."

Toothless blinked, gave Rune one more lick at his face before climbing off looking quite proud at the job he did. Rune moaned in disgust as he shook himself to rid of the dragon drool and cringed as spit still clung to his hands. "I'll need like three baths."

"It doesn't wash out," Hiccup said as he reached inside his pouch and handed him a cloth. "Here, wipe off your face at least."

Rune took the cloth and thoroughly attempted to wipe off the drool as Hiccup took a seat beside him. "So, I hear you had an eventful day," Hiccup started as he took the cloth and covered Rune's head with it to dry off his hair. "I mean, this doesn't top the adventure of you, Stoick and Asta trying to ride that wild Thunderdrum, but it's up there."

Rune grunt was muffled beneath the cloth. "Why are you home so early?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject," Hiccup said as he gently dug his fingers into Rune's scalp. Dragon spit coated hair was a lot harder to wash out when it dried. It would become stiff and hard, and often last for days. The only person that seemed to enjoy it was Ruffnut's son who would purposely take dragon spit and sculpt his hair into different shapes. Thankfully, none of the other children on Berk seemed eager to join in on the idea. Truthfully, Hiccup could never see how shaping your hair like that could be considered fun.

"There, that should do for now," Hiccup replied as he removed the cloth. "Now, mind telling me what happened?"

Rune meekly raised his head and hugged his knees to his chest. Toothless gave an encouraging nudge and Rune responded by stroking the Nightfury's head. "I took a dare from Helga."

"I know about that," Hiccup said as he scooted closer, "but why did you take it? That's not like you."

"I know," Rune muttered as he stared at his boots. "It's just...she kept teasing me, and it was so embarrassing."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What was?"

"Thora shooting an arrow!" Rune spat out in a low moan.

"Wait," Hiccup said as he frowned in confusion. "You were embarrassed by Thora shooting an arrow? Why? She missed?"

"No, she hit the target dead on!" Rune cried throwing his hands up in the air. "Right after I could barely pull the drawstring." His body shook flabbergasted. "She's not even five, Dad! And yet, my baby sister is better at shooting arrows than I am!"

Hiccup gave an understanding nod. Now it was all coming together. "Thora was probably just lucky," he explained. Granted, Hiccup did feel pride for his baby girl to do such a feat, even if it was only by luck, but that wouldn't help Rune right now.

Rune scoffed bitterly. "Tell that to Helga, she wouldn't shut up about it. So I said I could shoot any arrow. She said I couldn't, and before I knew it she's daring me to shoot a fire lit arrow."

"And you it hit the great hall?" Hiccup concluded.

Rune winced. "It was suppose to be a stump. Stoick gave me tips, while Asta was standing by with a bucket of water to put it out." He leaned back against Toothless and let the dragon wrap his tail around him. "But then, just as I was about to shoot, Gobber came out asking what we were doing-"

"And you missed, hitting the great hall," Hiccup concluded with a sigh. Now all the pieces were coming together. While Stoick, Asta and even Thora showed they had inherited their mother's ability for physical combat, Rune had proven to take after Hiccup in that regard.

In fact, when Rune was born, the boy had been very close to being named a 'Hiccup' as well. He had been the tiniest baby among his children and there were times Hiccup worried he wouldn't survive the harsh winter he had been born in the middle of. However, Valka claimed he would be strong just like Hiccup and he did. Yet, even with that said, he and Astrid agreed Rune was a better choice for a name.

It maybe tradition to name the 'runt' Hiccup, but it would be confusing to have two Hiccups running around. Besides, their generation was about changing tradition, so why not add it to the list? However, while Berk may have changed since Hiccup's youth, that didn't mean it was any easier for a small viking.

Hiccup's smile soften as he pulled Rune close and patted his head. "So, just exactly how long did you plan to hide here?" he asked.

Rune shrugged and barely raised his head as he leaned into Hiccup's side. "I don't know, the rest of my life?"

"I think that's a little extreme," Hiccup said with a laugh. "You're just going to have to face the music."

"But everyone's so mad at me," Rune replied as he shut his eyes.

"Yeah, but they'll get over it, especially once they finish fixing the great hall." Hiccup used his free hand to brush Rune's bangs out of his eyes. "Besides, you're hardly the first person to set fire to the great hall."

Rune stared confused. "I don't remember Stoick, Asta or any of the other kids setting fire to it."

Hiccup gave a snort. "I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about me."

Rune raised his head in shock. "You did?"

"Around your age," Hiccup replied. "In fact, I'm wondering if I shouldn't consider this a right of passage."

Toothless gave a snort and a disgruntled look as he buried his nose into Rune's hand.

"How did you almost burn down the great hall?" Rune asked and he gave a curious frown that Hiccup much prefered to see on his son.

Hiccup gave a forced laugh and sucked the air between his teeth. "Well, I'll say this much. It may involved a water bucket"

Rune's eyes widened as he tilted his head in confusion. "How do you set something on fire with a water bucket?"

"Turns out quite easily when you try to invent an automatic system to fetch water from the well and bring it to the great hall," Hiccup explained as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Turns out, having long ropes that connect from the great hall directly to the well makes it a prime target for dragons to shoot at."

Rune snickered and covered his smile with his hand. "Was Grandpa mad?"

"Furious," Hiccup said as he waved his hand. "I was banned from the great hall for a month, had to eat in my room." Oh, his father was probably laughing at him from the afterlife right now. Hiccup did recall his father hoping he would have a son that 'caused him as many grey hairs' as Hiccup did for him.

"Anyway, my point is," Hiccup continued, "at your age I was called the worst viking of all of Berk."

"Dad, that's rather hard to believe considering everyone calls you 'Dragon Master'," Rune said skeptically, "even with those stories Mom and Gobber tells us."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, tempted to know what 'stories' Gobber and Astrid had been telling the kids behind his back, but he dropped it for now.

"Well, it is true and that's what I'm trying to get at," Hiccup explained. "Don't worry about the stuff you can't do. Focus on what you can, that's what I had to learn."

Rune chewed his bottom lip as he hugged his knees to his chest. "But I can't see myself being a great dragon rider like you."

"And I'm not asking you to," Hiccup said, earnestly. "There's only one me and there's only one you," he emphasized by tapping Rune on the nose. "Just focus on being you. You'll figure out who you're suppose to be eventually, I promise. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Rune said as he stared up at the sky. He then paused as he casually looked back to Hiccup and cleared his throat. "So, does this mean you're not going to punish me since you did the same thing when you were my age?"

"Well, I'm not going to banish you," Hiccup said, thoughtfully. "But I think your mother will agree sending you to be Gobber's helper in his forge for a week will suffice."

Rune gave a defeated sigh, but nodded. "Fine, I guess that's fair."

Hiccup chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Rune's shoulder. "Glad that's settled," he said and then frowned. "Although, I can't deny I am still a little surprised," Hiccup admitted as he brought his face closer to Rune's.

"You were really that embarrassed by Thora hitting the target?" He could understand Helga's teasing getting to Rune. However, when it came to his brother and sisters, he was usually so proud of them when they showed off their skills.

"Well, I normally wouldn't let it bother me so much," Rune said and then blushed, "but Birna was watching and I didn't want her to think I was a wimp."

"Birna?" Hiccup asked. Eret's daughter? Why would that matter- Then the meaning of his son's blush struck him. He blinked stunned. "Ooh," Hiccup said with a chuckle. "I get it."

Rune frowned. "Dad? Why are you laughing? It's not funny."

"Sorry, sorry," Hiccup said, unable to hide his smile. "I just didn't think you were old enough to have crushes yet."

"DAD!" Rune cried, blushing deep red and buried his face into Hiccup's side to hide. "I-I'm not...I mean…"

"Son, take it from me," Hiccup replied as he forced Rune to look up at him, "there are far better methods to impress a girl than taking on a dare."

"Like what?" Rune asked.

Hiccup opened his mouth, but then shut it immediately. "You know what, I believe I should leave that territory to your mother." Honestly, he still wasn't exactly sure how he got Astrid interested in him.

Rune sighed as he started to climb to his feet. "So, I guess you have to take me back now?"

"We will," Hiccup said as he grasped his son's hand and pulled him back to the ground. "But first, did you do any more sketches, while I was gone?"

He watched happily as Rune's face brightened at the question. "I tried drawing Stormfly," he said as he reached into his pouch for his sketchbook. "But I can't get her head or feet, right."

"Let me see," Hiccup said, he carefully undid the binding and started to flip through the pages of dragons, trees, sheep and anything else Rune had tried to draw. He then landed on the page of Stormfly. "Not bad, Kiddo," Hiccup said as he ruffled Rune's hair. "Might find it easier if you start with an oval shape for the head over a circle."

"Okay," Rune said and then flipped the page. "I did a really good one of Toothless." The grinned proudly as Hiccup admired the sketch of Toothless eating a fish. "See! I got his eyes right!"

"Yeah, you did," Hiccup said, and then grasped his chin. "Although, the real Toothless's tail would be wagging."

Toothless snorted and promptly whacked Hiccup with his tail.

"What?!" Hiccup laughed as he batted the tail way. "You totally do, Great Alpha."

Rune giggled along with Hiccup as Toothless glared at the two of them.

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That night, Hiccup did his nightly routine before retreating to bed. First, he peeked into the girls' room and it was just as he expected. Asta was sound asleep, with the book she had been reading dropped to the floor.

Quietly, he crept in to retrieve the fallen book and ensured Asta was tucked in before kissing his daughter on her forehead. He then spied his youngest daughter. Thora too was asleep, clutching tightly her stuffed sheep toy, with the small Terrible Terror she had adopted and insisted they name "Cuddles" sleeping at the foot of her bed.

Chuckling softly to himself, he pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her forehead. He glanced over and saw Cuddles glancing at him with a hopeful look.

"No," he whispered, firmly. "I'm not kissing you goodnight." He may be a dragon rider and the legendary Dragon Master, but he refused to give dragons goodnight kisses...Well, maybe Toothless, but thankfully the Nightfury has never asked.

Cuddles snorted offended before quickly settling back into his slumber. Hiccup shook his head as he left and silently shut the door behind him.

He then went to the expansion of the house where the boys' room was located. His home was twice the size it was from when he grew up. Although, after the twins were born, he, Astrid and his mother knew they would need the extra room and he was glad for it.

The door creaked, reminding Hiccup he really needed to oil the hinges, as he entered. He was relieved to see both boys were asleep. They had a habit lately of secretly staying up to plot whatever latest crazy plan they had in their heads.

He crept in and checked over Stoick first. He noticed the boy had, again, kicked the blankets off himself. With a sigh, Hiccup tucked his eldest son in and kissed his forehead. Stoick stirred slightly, but he didn't awake.

Hiccup then turned to Rune and wasn't surprise to see he was, as usual, sleeping with a piece of charcoal and his sketchbook in his hands. Hiccup did his best to gently pry Rune's fingers off his sketchbook and uncurled his fingers off the charcoal. He sent it to the side before he proceeded to ensure Rune was tucked in and kissed his forehead.

His routine done, Hiccup left the room, walked by the room where his mother slept and into his own bedroom. Astrid was sitting up in bed combing her hair as Toothless raised his head in greeting from his rock bed.

"Kids asleep?" Astrid asked as she set her comb aside and settled under the blanket.

"Yup," Hiccup said as he patted Toothless and scratched the dragon's favorite spot under the chin. "No, late night planning tonight."

"Good," Astrid said as Hiccup climbed into bed next to her. "I don't want any of them plotting anything until the great hall is fixed."

Hiccup nodded in agreement and wrapped his arm around her. "Oh, did you know Rune has a crush?"

Astrid smirked and shrugged. "Well, yeah, he's had it bad for Birna since last spring."

Hiccup blinked shocked and raised his head. "Wait, you knew? How?"

"Women's intuition," Astrid replied, kissing Hiccup's cheek. "Also, he's been stammering and blushing a lot more around her lately. He couldn't make it any more obvious."

"Oh, right, of course," Hiccup muttered, unsure how he missed the signs. "I just can't believe he's that old already."

"Well, they are going up. Won't be long before you have to scare off potential suitors for Asta and Thora."

"Oh, it won't be me," Hiccup replied as he gestured to the Nightfury. "Toothless and I already agreed that will be his territory."

Toothless raised his head, grinned evilly as he growl like he was saying "Darn, right! No one gets close to my girls!"

Astrid shook her head as she pulled Hiccup down and cuddle into his chest. "Well, glad to hear you and Toothless are doing a fine job raising our children," she said in a teasing tone.

Hiccup smiled as he hugged her tightly. It was moments like this he lived for. Laying in bed contently with his wife, knowing all his children were safe in their beds. There were times Hiccup wished his father had lived to see his grandchildren, but something told him his dad's spirit knew all about it.

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup then took Astrid by her shoulders and brushed the bangs from her eyes. No matter how old she got, Astrid would forever be beautiful to him.

"So," he said slowly and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Want to go for number five?"

Astrid snorted and promptly hit her husband with her pillow. "Go to sleep," she ordered.

Hiccup laughed as he shut his eyes and went to sleep hearing the light snores of both his wife and his dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: So, people have been asking me to write more stories with these kids. Thus, I have decided to update this with more stories as ideas come to me._

Chapter 2

Valka hummed to herself as she finished washing the dinner dishes. She was prepared for a quiet evening with her grandchildren. She had volunteered to watch them for Hiccup and Astrid, while they were at the meeting. It was due to run late since it had only been decided a couple of hours ago. Bucket had been moaning his head had been hurting, which could only mean a snow storm was brewing. Thankfully, Mulch predicted they had a couple of days to prepare, but it still didn't give them a lot of time to get ready.

Thus, Hiccup had to call for an emergency meeting to make certain Berk wasn't caught off guard. Everyone was there, well except Gobber. He was currently entertaining the children before he left to join the others. He had claimed he had was only dropping one a hammer he had borrowed from Hiccup. However, he took his time leaving until Thora insisted Gobber tell them one of his stories. The man laughed, saying "Ah, well, I suppose I could spare a few minutes."

Course, Valka knew he had lingered for that very reason. Gobber did love the grandchildren like they were his own flesh and blood. He had often acted as a surrogate grandfather for them as a result, and something told Valka she knew Stoick would approve.

"And then poor Hardfoot tried to escape from the trolls, but it was too late," Gobber's voice echoed throughout the house. "The trolls caught him for their dinner!"

Thora gasped. "Did he escape?"

"No, sadly he didn't, Lass," Gobber said in a dramatic tone.

Valka froze as she heard that last sentence. Well...perhaps he wouldn't approve tonight. She poked her head into the main room. "Gobber?" she called softly, hoping to make eye contact, but Gobber appeared to wrapped up in his story to notice.

This made her uneasy in the pit of her stomach. Valka recognized the story from the tidbits she heard, and it was she had personally hated growing up. However, she had assumed Gobber would make up his own ending. He wouldn't stick with the original horrible ending...right?

Valka entered the main room, seeing the children huddled around the fire as Gobber waved his hands pretending he was holding a wiggling, screaming child for dinner. Toothless, as usual, sat near the children with his head resting on his front legs, and eyes shut as the children used him like he was a giant pillow.

"Hardfoot tried to break free, but trolls have a strong grip," he continued and not noticing the warning look Valka was giving. "Thus, in one large gulp they ate him!"

"Gobber!" Valka cried.

Yet, the kids shocked gasps were louder. Thora whimpered as she clung to Stoick. Rune looked very nervous, while the twins exchanged anxious looks. Sensing the children's distress, Toothless opened his eyes as he growled at Gobber, but the man looked unfazed by the reactions.

"They ate him?" Asta asked in disbelief, folding her arms over her chest. "That can't be the end of the story."

"Sadly, it is," Gobber said with a nod of the head.

"But, it's not a happy ending," Rune argued as Valka noticed he was backing up to Toothless.

"Not all stories have a happy ending, Lad," Gobber said with a shrug. "But, that's why you got to keep an eye out for trolls so they don't-"

"I think that's enough stories," Valka swiftly cut in, giving a murderous look to Gobber. "You four should get ready for bed. Gobber has to get going to the meeting."

Gobber gave a puzzled frown as the four children exchanged weary expressions.

"But what about the trolls?" Thora asked as she peeked over Stoick's arms.

"Trolls aren't real, Sweetheart," Valka said gently as she patted the girl's head. "It's just a story Gobber made up. So, there's no reason to be scared."

"Ah, Grandma, we're not scared," Stoick said, as he waved a hand. "Right, guys?"

Rune, Thora and Asta looked uncertain, yet also nodded.

"See," Stoick replied, confidently. "Nothing to worry about."

"And besides that, I didn't make it up," Gobber replied, "it was told to me by my father, who was told by his father and so forth. It's a story that had been told for centuries so-"

"Thank you, Gobber," Valka said through a strained smile and started to ushered the children towards their rooms. "Nevertheless, it is time for you four go to bed."

The children all looked equally confused by their grandmother's urgency they suddenly go to bed, but it was Stoick who spoke. "Okay, Grandma," he said as he tugged Rune and Thora by the hand. "Come on, guys."

The children walked up the stairs in more guarded state as if they expected a monster to appear from the shadows. Toothless narrowed his eyes at Gobber before he proceeded to followed the children to his own bed in Hiccup and Astrid's room.

Valka waited for them to be out of earshot before she turned her attention to Gobber. "Why did you have to tell them that story?" she hissed.

"What?" Gobber asked with a shrug. "It's a good story. I loved it when I was a boy."

"It's a horrible story," Valka snapped as she tried to keep her voice down. "We'll be lucky if they don't have nightmares of trolls trying to eat them." Gods knows that what had happened to Valka when she was a girl. She had nightmares for a solid week when her grandfather had told her that story.

"Ah, a little fear is good for them. It builds character," Gobber said with a laugh. "Besides, I told Hiccup that story when he was a boy and he loved it!"

"He did?" Valka asked, shocked. It wasn't the kind of stories she could see her son enjoying. Yet, regretfully, she hadn't been around during his childhood so perhaps it was possible.

"Sure did, even caused him to go troll hunting," Gobber said as he headed to the door. "Don't worry, Val, they'll be fine." He chuckled as he gave Valka a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I bet trolls are the last thing on their minds right now."

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Upstairs, trolls was all Stoick could think about. He shut his eyes and all he could see where hideous monsters clawing at him to gobble up. Then after him they go for his brother and sisters-No! No! He had to stop this.

Stoick took a deep breath to relax his heart that was beating faster than usual. Trolls were not going to break in and devour him in his sleep. His grandmother was downstairs and Toothless was only a few doors down in his parents room. There was no way a troll would get pass them...although, Gobber said they were sneaky and could be quiet- No! No! Happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts to go to sleep.

"Stoick? You awake?"

The boy jumped, only realizing it was only Rune calling for him. He rolled to his side, getting his face emotionless as he could before facing Rune. He was the older brother. It was his job to keep Rune from being scared and that wouldn't work if he saw fear written all over his face.

"Yeah," he whispered. "What's wrong?"

Rune was laying on his stomach and meekly looking over his pillow at him. "I-I can't sleep...I keep thinking trolls are going to eat."

Stoick forced a smile. "Aw, there's nothing to be scared of. Trolls aren't real." He said it firmly, in a feeble attempt to get himself to believe it. "Even if they're were, that's why kids get bizarre names remember? To trick them?"

"Oh," Rune said, still looking unsettled, yet gave a slow nod. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense."

Stoick grinned as he snuggled back down under his blanket. Right. What he said made perfect sense. There was nothing to be scared about. Stoick could just shut his eyes and go to sleep. For a moment, Stoick thought that was the end of it.

"Stoick?"

The boy sighed as he rolled back on his side. "Yeah?"

"Our names aren't that weird, not like Fishlegs or Snotlout" Rune stated as he peeked over his pillow. "And in the story, it didn't work. Gobber said the boy was named Hardfoot," Rune stated. "So, that means the name trick didn't work on those trolls."

Stoick opened and shut his mouth. He couldn't argue against that. Unfortunately for him, Rune continued to babble, sounding more nervous with each second. "S-so, what if a troll snuck in here and tried to carry us away-"

"That wouldn't happen," Stoick added, a bit hastily to his liking. "Do you honestly think a troll could get pass Mom and Dad?" He said it to reassure himself if anything else, but Stoick wasn't scared. He was the big brother and big brothers didn't get scared.

"Mom and Dad are at the meeting," Rune said as he sat up.

"Oh," Stoick replied, drumming his fingers on his knees. "Well, they wouldn't get pass Grandma-"

"Even when she's asleep?" Rune said, now sounding frantic. "And Grandma doesn't think they're real, but what if they are and they use that so they and sneak in-"

"Whoa, whoa." Stoick raised his hands to get his brother to stop. "Rune, calm down. There are no such things as trolls-"

Suddenly, a rattle was heard causing both boys to jump. Rune immediately dove from his bed to the safety of Stoick's. "What was that?"

Stoick gulped. If asked, he would be unable to deny he didn't imaginated a troll trying to stomp his way to their house. "Just the wind," Stoick said, patting Rune on the back. "There's a strong wind tonight remember?"

Rune didn't look convinced and quivered silently next to him. The door suddenly opened ajar. "Guys?" Asta whispered as she poked her head in. "You awake?"

Stoick sighed. No, not the girls too. "Yeah, what's up?"

Asta sighed as she entered. "I need help with Thora. She's hiding under the bed and refusing to come out."

"Why?" Stoick asked.

"Hiding from trolls," she replied, in a matter of fact tone.

Stoick sighed as he flung the covers off himself. "We're coming, but we better keep it down. We don't want to bother grandma."

"Even if real trolls do come after us?" Rune asked, fearfully as he climbed out of bed and glanced over his shoulder as if a troll would come out right then.

Stoick shooked his head as he took Rune by the hand and followed Asta into the girl's room. Thora was exactly where Asta claimed she was. All three children could hear her shuffled under the bed. Although, Stoick was surprised by the soft growl he heard.

"Cuddles is under there too," she explained as sat on the floor and pointed to the bed. "He climbed in the minute she went under there."

"Of course," Stoick grumbled as he crawled on his hands and knees to get a better look. He had briefly considered just dragging Thora out, but if Cuddles as in there with her there was a good chance the Terrible Terror would bite him.

"Thora?" he called.

Thora was laying flat on her stomach, her face deeply buried into her stuff sheep toy she'd always slept with. "I'm not coming out," she declared, her voice muffled by the toy.

"Thora, you can't stay under there," Stoick said, "you need to come out."

"No," Thora protested. "Cuddles and I are staying under here where the trolls can't get us."

Cuddles then proceeded to poke his head out and confirm with a nod before pulling it back under the bed.

Stoick groaned. "Thora, there are no such things as trolls."

"I don't believe you!" Thora sharply replied, along with Cuddles giving another growl.

Stoick grumbled as he sat up and looked to his twin for help. "Asta, tell her you don't believe trolls exist either."

He fully expecting Asta to jump in. Yet, his stomach lurched as she anxiously chew her bottom lip and twiddle her thumbs, which he knew Asta only did when she was nervous. "Actually, we don't have any physical proof we don't so….I can't deny I'm scared too."

"Asta!" Stoick growled and winced as he saw Rune was now eyeing to join Thora under the bed. "There's nothing to be scared of."

"But stories about trolls have been around a long time, so they have to be based on fact!" She narrowed her eyes and glared at her brother. "Besides, I don't believe for a second you're any less scared than the rest of us."

Stoick's face turned red at the comment. Quickly, he tried to brush it aside with a cough. "I'm not scared, and you are all being-"

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard. Stoick jumped, frantically looking left and right expecting for a troll to appear. Rune dove to his brother's side for safety. Asta shrieked at the same moment Thora fearfully sprang from under the bed and clung to her sister. Cuddles growled as he seemed to reach the conclusion staying under the bed was the better sanctuary.

"The trolls are coming," Thora whined, clutching her sheep tightly as Asta held her tightly. "They're going to eat us!"

"There aren't any trolls," Stoick stated, desperately trying to regain control. He patted Rune's back and took a deep breath to calm his own nerves. "It was probably just the wind knocking a branch over or something."

Yeah, that had to be it. There was a storm coming in a few days, so logically the winds would be picking up. That had to be it….not a giant troll coming to attack in the night. Yet, Stoick could tell from his siblings expressions they weren't accepting a word of his theory.

Asta stared suspiciously at him. "So, you can honestly still claim you're not scared?"

Stoick went to open his mouth, but he was cut off as another bang from outside was heard. He yelped in fright and instinctively hugged Rune in an attempt to shield the boy from any monsters in the dark. "Okay, fine, I am scared. Happy?"

"Not really," Asta replied, regretfully.

Thora raised her head as she quivered. "What should we do?"

"Maybe I should go get Grandma," Rune suggested.

"No," Stoick said in a determine tone as he climbed to his feet. "I told her it didn't scare us, remember? If she sees us now, she'll know it did." They couldn't be seen as little kids they had to be constantly be shielded. He and Asta were practically adults.

"But we are scared," Asta replied, frustrated and clearly not understanding his point.

"Yeah, but," Stoick replied as he tried to think of the proper word, "it's a matter of pride."

"I don't want pride. I want Mommy and Daddy," Thora whine as she pouted and buried her face into her toy sheep.

Asta sighed, patting Thora's head to comfort her and she rubbed her own tired eyes. "Fine, then what do you suggest we do, Stoick? Because we can't sleep like this."

Stoick chewed his bottom lip. They could just wait until their parents came home, but their meeting could go on forever. "Look, we just need some place where trolls wouldn't get us, right? So, let's just go there, sleep and make sure we're back in our rooms before anyone noticed we're gone."

Yeah, that would work. No one would suspect the slightest Gobber's story had scared them. They sleep for a couple of hours, and then sneak back into bed too tired to care about trolls anymore.

"Okay, but where do we go?" Rune asked.

Stoick held up a finger and then dropped it like it was made of lead. He hadn't thought of that.

Asta chewed her lower lip as she tapped her foot. "I think I got an idea, but we're going to have to take our blankets with us."

The other three children exchanged curious looks as they drew closer to hear Asta's plan.

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Hiccup adjusted his cape before wrapping his arm around Astrid's shoulders to protect her from the chill. It wasn't a long walk from the great hall to his home, but all the same, Hiccup couldn't stand the thought of Astrid being cold. "Wind's picking up, isn't?" he said as another gust of wind decided to ruffle his hair.

"Told you, storm's coming," Gobber said as he rubbed his arms. "Never doubt Bucket's...er...um bucket."

Astrid snorted and leaned into Hiccup's shoulder as their home came into view. "Well, I'm just glad the meeting's over and we can all go to bed-"

The door to the house flung open. An alarmed Valka rushed out and caught eyes with Hiccup. Her frightened eyes filled him with dread. "Mom?" he asked as he and Astrid dashed to her. "What's wrong?"

"The children aren't in their beds," Valka replied as she started to look around the house.

"What?!" Hiccup and Astrid said in unison.

"I just checked both their rooms and they not there, I was hoping they were out here," she explained as she examined the ground. "But I don't see any footprints."

"Wait, wait," Astrid said, trying to keep calm. "Why would the kids leave their rooms?"

Valka paused at the question. Gradually she turned around and directly at Gobber, who was currently avoiding eye contact. "Yes, indeed," she said in a venomous tone. "I'd wager it was because they were frightened."

"Frightened?" Hiccup replied, baffled. "Of what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Valka said in a tense told. "But I think Gobber has a good idea."

"Oh...uh," Gobber muttered as rubbed his neck with his hook. "I'm sure it wasn't...um...that. The kiddies probably went out for a stroll."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed, and he stepped in front of Valka so he could fully look his old mentor in the eye. "I know that look, Gobber what did you do?"

Gobber coughed. "Now, Hiccup, I should point out we don't know for sure-"

"Gobber, spit it out," Astrid growled as her fingers seemed to be itching to reach for the nearest weapon.

Gobber sighed. "I may had told the children the story of the Trolls and Hardfoot." He shrugged with a forced smile. "It's a classic bedtime story."

Hiccup's look of suspicion morphed into deep moan as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It all clicked into place now. The title of the story alone was enough or Hiccup to experience fearful nights of his childhood.

"Of all the stories, why did you have to tell them that one?" he asked. Couldn't Gobber at least told the stories of people actually tricky and escaping the trolls that didn't end up with them being eaten?

"What?" Gobber said with a shrug. "You loved the story when you were a lad."

"No, I didn't!" Hiccup spat, and wondered how bad Gobber's memory was. "That story had me terrified I was going to get kidnapped by a troll for weeks." Hiccup folded his arms over his chest. "Don't you remember me setting up troll traps around my bed as a kid?"

Gobber blinked baffled, scratched his chin with his hook as something dawned on him. "Oh, right. Stoick cursed at me for a good week after he got his foot stuck in one of them." He shook his head. "But wait, you went troll hunting. I remember that, clear as a bell."

Hiccup gave an exasperated sigh. "I went troll hunting because I reached the point I thought I was better off to get them before they got me!"

"Huh." Gobber gave a thoughtful nod and shrug. "Well, it gave you a good sense of adventure."

"I don't care about adventure," Astrid hissed, looming over Gobber with a rage filled glare. "I want to know where my children are!"

"I agree," Valka said as she joined her daughter-law in scowling.

Feeling the the full anger of two furious mothers, Gobber gave a shaky laugh. "Now, calm down ladies," he replied. "I'm certain the children didn't go far. Um...Hiccup, a little help?"

Hiccup wasn't listening. His eyes wandered to the open door that lead into the house and a thought struck him. "Mom, where's Toothless?" If the children were gone, Toothless should be trying to track them down. Even when the children were toddlers, Toothless couldn't stand the thought of the children being too far away from the family. The Nightfury had gotten into the habit of picking them up like a cat would her kittens, and plunking them at his and Astrid's feet if he felt they had wandered too far away.

"Is this really a good time to be asking about your dragon?" Gobber asked, in an agitated tone.

Valka frowned and lowered her glare for a moment. "I saw him go to his bed around the time the children did. Although, now you mention it, it's strange. I haven't seen him since."

"Thought so," Hiccup said as he entered the house and immediately headed up the stairs. "Astrid, we need to check our bedroom."

Astrid tilted her head in confusion, but then seemed to understand what her husband was saying. The four adults approached the bedroom, and became silent when Hiccup brought a finger to his lips before opening the door.

He let out a sigh of relief. All four children were tucked under their blankets and curled up against Toothless alseep. Thora was snuggled against Stoick, while Rune was huddled between Stoick and Asta. Hiccup noticed that even Cuddles was snoring quietly on his side in the far corner of the room. Toothless then seemed to sense Hiccup's presence. He lazily raised his head and yawned like he was asking "What took you so long?"

Astrid held a hand over her heart as she kneeled to check over her children. "Thank the Gods," she whispered.

"Well, would you look at that," Gobber said in amusement. "But why on earth would they sleep with Toothless?"

"Because what better protection is there from a troll than a dragon," Hiccup whispered.

Valka sighed, and looked puzzled. "But why on earth wouldn't they come to me if they were that scared?"

"Pride," Hiccup said, and blushed slightly. "I kind of did the same thing to Dad." It was silly to think of it now. However, at eight years old, Hiccup recalled not wanting his father to think he was some scared little kid that got spooked by a story. Although, now Hiccup wondered if this was how his father felt when he had discovered his self-made troll traps.

Valka blinked and chuckled as she patted Hiccup's shoulder. "Do you and Astrid want a hand putting them back to bed?" Valka asked.

Toothless raised his head, growled and protectively wrapped the tail around the children.

Astrid giggled, covering her hand over her mouth. "Looks like Toothless rather keep them here to make certain they're not scared."

"And frankly," Hiccup said as he removed his furred cape. "I'd sleep easier tonight knowing they're not going to run off again."

"Well, then, I'm off to bed," Gobber replied with a wave. "See you all in the morning."

"Yes," Valka said firmly with a glare. "And then you and I are going to discuss on what stories you tell my grandchildren."

Gobber laughed nervously before he caved in with a sigh as he and Valka walked down the stairs.

Hiccup shook his head as he glanced to Toothless. "Do we have your permission to at least move Thora and Rune to our bed so you have more space, Bud?"

Toothless flexed his ears as he looked over the children. He gave a snort as he nodded and lowered his head.

"Thanks," Astrid said as she proceed to scoop up Thora. The girl whimpered, but settled back down as she buried her face into Astrid's neck and hugged her toy. Astrid smiled, as she stroked Thora's cheek and carried her into bed. "Hiccup, you want to get Rune?"

"Sure, thing," Hiccup replied as he removed his fur cape and placed it on the floor. Gently, Hiccup picked up Rune, who responded by inching closer to Hiccup's chest, and mumered in his sleep. With his free hand, Hiccup placed his cape over Asta and Stoick to ensure extra warmth.

No longer feeling his younger siblings around him, Stoick stirred and blinked blearily at Hiccup. "Dad?" he said with half lidded eyes and his voice thick with sleep. "You're home?"

"Yeah, go back to sleep, Kiddo," Hiccup said as he patted Stoick's head and adjusted his other arm to keep his hold on Rune.

He thought Stoick would try to argue, but Hiccup was pleased to see the boy shut his eyes. "We weren't scared," he muttered. "Just so you know, we weren't scared."

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup whispered as he rubbed Stoick's back and resisted the urge to chuckle. "Go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

Stoick gave a sleepy nod, before he returned to giving soft snores. With a grunt, Hiccup climbed into bed and tucked Rune in. He then wrapped a protective arm over his son, and stole a glance at Astrid to see she was doing the same with Thora.

"So," Astrid whispered as she pulled the covers over herself and Thora. "What do we tell the kids tomorrow?"

"Don't worry, I got this covered," Hiccup whispered. "I know exactly how to solve this."

Astrid stared at Hiccup curiously, but then shrugged as she went to sleep the same time as he did.

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"Okay," Hiccup declared, clapping his hands as he paced around the room. "So, what is now the troll procedure?"

"Dad, we said it two times, already," Asta whined from her seat on her bed.

"Humour me," Hiccup said as he raised a finger like he was giving one of his dragon training lectures. "To scare off trolls you kids are going to-"

"Put bells near the door because trolls are scared of bells," all four kids said in unison.

"Correct, however, a troll wouldn't even get that close to your room and that is because-" Hiccup asked and pointed to the children to answer.

"Toothless would smell one a mile away," again, the children said in unison.

"Right," Hiccup declared, "so there is no more reason to be scared of trolls, right?"

"Right," Stoick replied and coughed. "Not that I was scared."

Asta rolled her eyes. "Oh, you so were."

"No, fighting," Hiccup said as he gestured to the door. "No, go play and try not to burn anything."

"No promises!" Rune cried as all four children ran out the door, leaving their father behind to sigh.

Astrid chuckled as she leaned against the door frame. "Interesting idea with the bells," she said as she stroke a finger against one of the bells hanging off the door. "But where did you get the idea for that?"

Hiccup coughed into his hand. "Actually… that's what my dad did to convince me that I didn't need to set up troll traps to sleep safe at night."

Astrid blinked, then snickered and slowly turned into laughter. "Did you really sleep with bells on your door to keep trolls out?"

"No, Dad did that, but...yeah," Hiccup muttered as he waved a hand. "Yes, yes, go and laugh."

"I'm only laughing because it's cute," Astrid said as she wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck. "So, shall we proceed with the next thing on our to do list today?"

Hiccup nodded with a mischievous grin. "Yes," he said as they headed down the stairs. "So, let's have 'talk' with Gobber on what kinds of stories he should tell the kids."

"I'll get the axe," Astrid replied as the couple headed out the door. Hiccup grinned, and knowing his mother was going to join in for this 'little chat' he couldn't help, but feel a little sorry for Gobber.


End file.
